Risotto Milanese

Colleen's Take: "Personally I think risotto is an annoying thing to make, but the end result is worth all of the work. I found this recipe in my Weight Watchers cookbook & saw that it had saffron in it. I have never used saffron before so I took the plunge, bought the $12 bottle of spice & added it to this dish. This dish was fantastic! Even though it took 30 minutes to cook it was a great delicate addition to our meal."

Makes 4 servings

3 1/2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth (I ended up using 5 cups)

Pinch of saffron threads

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

2 teaspoons butter

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1.  In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer.

2.  In a small bowl, dissolve the saffron in 1 cup of the broth

3.  In a large saucepan, heat the oil.  Saute the onion until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add the rice, stirring to coat, continuing to sauté until the rice is lightly toasted.

4.  Add the wine and 1/2 cup of the broth; cook, stirring until the liquid is absorbed.  Continue adding the broth, alternating between plain broth and saffron broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the broth is absorbed before adding more.  Cook until the rice is just tender.  The total cooking time should be between 25-30 minutes.  Stir in the cheese, butter, lemon zest and pepper; serve at once.

Per Serving:

294 Calories

9 g Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat

4 mg Cholesterol

216 mg Sodium

43 g Total Carbohydrate, 1 g Fiber

9 g Protein